Till I Waltz Again With You
by Srinalyn
Summary: {AmeCan} A shy boy working as a cashier to help with the college costs, and a customer with an opposing personality that keeps coming back, leaving each time with the same words. Both in seemingly completely different little worlds of theirs. I mean... they do say opposites attract, right?
1. Chapter One

Monday, the day most consider the worst of the week. Matthew Williams was part of that group. The first day of the week he needed to go to work at his part time job. He couldn't complain too much, he did make a little bit above minimum wage, and it wasn't exactly a hard job. He simply had to work as a cashier at a nearby shop. The only issue was, he was quite a shy kid.

As a child, his father had often been away for business, and had no time to help Matthew break out of his shell. Time passed and it had been time for him to leave for college, something he had been dreading. He would most likely need to socialize with people he met, and he knew he'd need to get a job if he wanted to eat. But on top of being shy, he was a bit weak, so a job based on labor wasn't for him. Alas, his only choice was to be a cashier.

Throughout his interactions with customers, he was often asked to speak up, or to repeat what he said. It was especially bad when he has to deal with the grouchy customers. He was often victim to rude comments due to his timid demeanor. But, it was a job, and it was a necessity.

And so, he reluctantly got out of his bed, glancing over to the other bed in the room, where his roommate Gilbert was fast asleep, sprawled across the bed. Despite Matthew being aware he was asleep, he still felt the need to privacy, and left to go change clothes in a bathroom stall. He had no classes that day until around 3 pm, and his shift for work ended about half an hour before that, and so he needed to bring a change of clothes to wear for class, which he shoved into a bag.

After finishing the process of changing, he went back to his dorm room, tossing the clothes he slept in onto his bed. He made a mental note to take care of it later, and left the room once again. Matthew checked his phone, glancing at the time and a typing a quick response to the only message he recieved. It was the same as he'd done yesterday, the day before, and so on. The normal, monotone morning routine, which continued as Matthew went to his workplace, headphones on his head and unruly hair bouncing as he placed one foot in front of the other.

~A few hours later~

"Have a nice rest of the day, ma'am."

"Yes yes, you too," was the response, as the woman left the shop, door shutting quietly behind her.

And barely a moment after she left, Matthew heard the familiar ringing of the bell yet again, signifying someone had entered the small book store. As he moved his gaze toward the door, the radio that had been softly playing music throughout the store began playing a recognizable tune for Matthew. "'Till I Waltz Again With You', the song he had always heard as a child whenever his mother and father were home at the same time, a rare occurrence. It had been their song, and became a favorite of his. Matthew hummed along quietly as the song played, and focused his attention on the new customer who had entered. It was a boy, appearing to be about Matthew's age. His hair was a dirty blonde, with a piece sticking up in the front, seemingly immune to the forces of gravity. For some reason, Matthew's gaze seemed fixated on the customer, looking at his every feature. He wore a leather bomber jacket, strange yes, but somehow it seemed to work on him. There was a confident aura surrounding him, quite opposite to Matthew. As the male went around the place, Matthew finally got a good view of his face. Shockingly, he bore a slight resemblance to Matthew himself. He had the same glasses, the same face shape, and all around nearly identical features. Yet, Matthew felt his gaze wander to the boy's eyes. Similar to his own, but a striking blue color contrary to his soft violet. They seemed to draw him in, but he didn't know why.

He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as the subject of his thoughts walked over to him, with only a comic book in hand. Matthew watched as he placed it down on the counter, reaching into his pocket for money. And if Matthew's ears weren't playing tricks on him, he could almost hear the other humming along to the music just as Matthew himself had been. This only made him even more interesting to Matthew, he never knew anyone else his age who had heard the song.

"Uhm..." At this point, he was almost at a loss for words, simply staring at the other across the counter. "What's your name?", he finally blurted out. It was an impulse, Matthew just needed to know, but he regretted it just as he said it. He was a cashier, the only things he needed to say were what the customer needed to pay, and something along the lines of 'Have a nice rest of the day'. And he was one who only wanted to say the minimum needed, yet here he was, trying to talk to this stranger.

"Huh? Oh, Alfred! Alfred F. Jones." 'Alfred' responded with a grin, not questioning why he had been asked that in the first place.

Matthew wasn't prepared for this, and regretted what he said even more. "Oh.. I'm, uhm, Matthew. Matthew Williams. That'll be $3.20, please."

And so, Alfred pulled out a slightly crumpled 5 dollar bill from his pocket, handing it to the other. Matthew quickly gave Alfred his change and receipt, wanting the encounter to end, yet wanting to say something more at the same time.

But alas, he only said those parting words, "Have a nice day...", and gave a small smile.

"Yeah, you too. Also, this is probably gonna sound weird to mention but. Ya kind of remind me of myself. Just in appearance, ya know? Anyways, this is when I take my leave. 'Till I waltz again with you, Matthew." Alfred gave a wave and a wide smile accompanied by a wink, before leaving the shop. Matthew's eyes widened just slightly, and he wondered if Alfred had heard him humming the tune as well.

But despite if he had or hadn't, Matthew was still simply left there, the image of the other seared into his memory. He didn't know why, but he almost felt fascinated with him, despite their seemingly opposing personalities. He wanted to see him again, to talk to him, maybe even befriend him. But it was too late, he was just another person who intruded on Matthew's life for a short time, only to be gone from it and never seen again. Just another person he'd forget about by the end of the day. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about seeing him again at that moment, but he knew that feeling would fade soon enough. That strange blonde boy would just be a lost chance for Matthew.

And so, he ignored that nagging part of his mind that wanted to keep the thought of Alfred in his head, and focused on getting the wretched day of Monday over with.

As he brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, the final notes of the song played and faded out, leaving silence in it's place.

 **I apologize for the semi-short chapter, I am trying to make my chapters around 2,000 words if possible. But alas, here is a new fanfiction I am writing, and have high hopes for. Here's to hoping I'll get positive feedback**


	2. Chapter Two

**FYI, to take this story where I want to take it without any bumps, I do want to say that this AU exists in a place without judgement. So basically, it's not like the real world, where certain sexualities are judged and often shunned. This little world is somewhere where there is zero judgement. Zero. So my bois won't have to deal with any of those type of issues.**

3:00.

Matthew waved to the teenager now at the register, as he walked out the front door, already changed into his normal clothes. He placed both earbuds in his ears, his music playlist on set on shuffle. And just to his luck, the first song to come on was ''Till I Waltz Again With You'. Matthew laughed quietly to himself, shaking his head. He should've known it wouldn't be easy for that one rambonxious blonde to leave his mind, and this song was simply a reminder of that boy.

He shook his head once again, but let his thoughts focus on Alfred, his last words to him that day playing on repeat through his mind. With each step he took, another thought of Alfred came up. Someone he had only met a few hours before, taking over his mind, leaving no room for thoughts of anyone else. With those parting words, it was if Alfred meant to come back, to see Matthew again. But yet, Matthew didn't know why he'd want to do such a thing. It didn't matter all that much regardless, as it was likely Alfred would forget about a plain, timid cashier by the end of the day.

Matthew tried to shoo Alfred out of his thoughts and focus on somethig else as he picked up the pace, nearly at the lecture room.

His eyes scanned over the few people outside the room, before settling on a familiar albino. He gave a warm smile as their eyes met, and gave a small wave. Gilbert waved back, a wide grin on his face.

Matthew jogged over to him, as Gilbert greeted him.

"'Sup Matthew, you're right on time, as always."

"I do like to be there for the whole lecture, I want to be prepared for finals when they come, and that means I need good notes including all the subjects covered." Matthew spoke as he dug his trusty laptop out of his bag, his notetaking device.

"I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to miss 5 minutes of a lecture. Besiides, some of these lectures are pretty un-awesome and boring. But you are the perfect student, arentcha?" Gilbert patted Matthew on the shoulder, he'd often tease him about his dedication to being the 'perfect' student.

"Yeah yeah, we should go in now, the professor's going to start soon." Matthew and Gilbert walked into the large room, placing themselves on two seats next to eachother, not in any particular location of the room.

The professor did indeed start speaking, but Matthew just was not able to focus. His mind only focused on Alfred again, refusing to let Matthew properly focus and take notes. He sighed, shaking his head, before turning to Gilbert.

"Hey, Gil?"

"What's up Mattie?" Gilbert turned his attention to the blonde, Matthew knew he hadn't been paying attention to the lecture anyway.

"Do you know a guy named Alfred? Alfred F. Jones as he refers to himself?" Matthew wasn't sure why he was asking Gilbert, but there had to be a chance he did know Alfred, right?

Matthew was in luck as Gilbert spoke with a look of recognition, "Oh yeah, he's in our year, though he's more into the party scene, not your kind of thing. He's pretty awesome at a party from what I've heard."

Matthew nodded, "Right, okay... hey, this is unrelated, but uhm... I heard you're going some party tonight? And I was just curious on what they're like and all so-" he trailed off as he saw Gilbert give him a knowing look.

"Ah, come on, I know that's not 'unrelated'. I mean, it's awesome that you're finally interested in a party, but I'm not that stupid. Why do you even care about that Alfred guy anyway?"

Matthew shrugged, not quite sure himself. "Don't know. I met him today and he just kind of... I don't know, he's just hogging up my thoughts."

"Aw man, you're not into him after first meeting him, are you?" Gilbert gave Matthew a cheeky smirk, and Matthew turned bright red.

"O-of course not! You know I'm not interested in relationships, Gil." He averted his gaze, not looking directly at the other.

"Aw, I was just messing with you, you know! But, now I see I really was right." Gilbert grinned and wiggled his eyebrows slightly, earning him a playful glare from the other.

"Yeah, yeah whatever."

"I am making you go to that party now though!"

Matthew rolled his eyes, though he knew Gilbert was serious, he would get Matthew to go there regardless on what Matthew really felt like doing. But, what he felt like doing did involve the party, so he wouldn't complain.

The rest of the lecture went by without much conversation between the two, much to Matthew's relief. He knew Gilbert would not give up an opportunity to tease Matthew for his "lil crush~" as Gilbert put it. But Matthew was sure it was nothing like that, he had only met the guy that day, and hadn't even spoke 3 sentences to him. This wasn't Romeo and Juliet for gods sake. He was only... interested in him, that was it. Matthew would probably forget about him come the next day. Or, that's what he told himself.

Man, he'd even agreed to go to a party just to have a chance to catch a glimpse of Alfred again. And parties were _not_ his type of place. What had he gotten himself into?


	3. Chapter Three

Matthew already regretted his decision to go to a party that night.

But it was too late to turn back, because he was right outside the dorm it was being held in, Gilbert at his side.

"Yo, Matt, let's go in now. I'm gonna make this an awesome night for sure. And you'll probably get to see your little crush there too~" Gilbert teased and winked at Matthew, earning him an eye roll and playful glare.

"Don't call him my 'little crush' Gil, I barely know the guy. He just seems like a cool person."

Gilbert responded back with a singsong 'whatever you say', earning him yet another eye roll, courtesy of the, currently, world's most annoyed Canadian.

As they entered the place, Matthew noticed there was already a mass of people inside, causing him to let out an audible sigh, and Gilbert an audible 'whoop' of excitement. It was obvious how different the two felt about parties, especially as Gilbert gave a small wave at Matthew before heading straight to where the alcohol was located. Matthew intended to avoid that area, preferring not to get drunk that night. He was a lightweight, he had found out thanks to Gilbert, and was barely legal. He opted to keeping his composure and trying his best to have somewhat of a good time.

However, moments later Gilbert was right in front of Matthew again. In his hands, he held not one, but two cups of what was probably beer, but Matthew wasn't quite sure. Before he could say anything, one cup was thrust into his hand, and Gilbert was gone again in the blink of an eye. He should've known Gilbert would never let him go to a party and not have any alcohol.

As Gilbert so often said, "You need live a little more, have some fun!", and apparently alcohol supposedly was part of "living a little more".

Matthew sighed, and set the cup on a table, intending on leaving it there and not bothering with it. Though, a moment later, he looked back at it, and then to the crowd. The cup, the crowd. If anything, the alcohol would help him get through the night without incident. Crowds were never his forte, and the cup looked incredibly enticing at that moment. He hesitantly picked up the cup, and took a sip. He already regretted his decision. Shaking his head, he made a mental note to only drink a little bit, not enough to even get him tipsy.

At least, that's what he had planned.

* * *

Three hours passed by, and Matthew was more than a little tipsy. He had a bit of trouble walking straight, and had his eyes locked on a guy who was flirting with some girl he didn't recognize with a strange smile. Not surprisingly, the "guy" was Alfred, the boy Matthew seemed infatuated with. A couple times, his drunk self almost went over and started flirting with him himself, but he still had some common sense, and scolded himself each time the thoughts danced around his head. But, stupidly, Matthew drank more, and that part of his mind still thinking clearly and stopping him from doing idiotic things... was no longer thinking clearly.

At this point, Matthew walked-more like stumbled-over to Alfred, and flashed him a lopsided smile. He started off with drunken small talk, which turned into some sort of flirting. Matthew was not someone who was particularly knowledgeable in the art of flirting in the first place, and attempting to flirt while drunk was not the brightest idea. Despite this, fortunately or unfortunately, Alfred was also rather drunk, and didn't see how truly bad the flirting attempts were. Stumbling and laughing, the two locked arms in a position that surely wasn't comfortable, and tried their luck at dancing together.

Though the music playing was some upbeat pop music, the closest thing that anyone could compare the dance to would be a waltz of sorts. It wasn't a slow waltz danced by two people in love however, it was a too fast, messy waltz danced by two boys who barely knew each other. Yet, it'd be something stuck in Matthew's memory forever. Even the alcohol couldn't completely rid him of what he had done.

The 'waltz' didn't last long, as it was past 2 AM, and Gilbert knew he would have to drag Matthew back to their dorm at some point. A drunk Matthew wasn't too hard to get to do what you wanted, but he was quite hard to deal with. He was giggly, loud, and far from shy unlike normal. He spoke loudly, held no fear of being embarrassed, and could be compared to a sober Gilbert.

Gilbert knew he'd end up having trouble getting Matthew to sleep when they did get back, that was for sure. He was simply lucky that he himself had a high tolerance to alcohol, and hadn't managed to get himself drunk this time. Things would not have gone as smoothly if he had.

He sighed as he practically carried Matthew out, making the short trek to their own dorm as Matthew let out whines in protest, yet laughing at the same time.

Matthew really was interesting when he was drunk.

* * *

Matthew woke up with a pounding head, and the light seemed impossibly bright. He didn't know what time it was, but he really didn't want to go to work that day. He fumbled around for his phone, figuring it would be around him somewhere. After patting himself and his bed down multiple times, he realized that it was nowhere to be found. That gave him two options: One, his phone was somewhere else in the room and he'd be forced to get up, or two, he left his phone at that party the previous night

Leaving it at the party was likely disastrous, but he took the time to wonder what exactly had happened there. He remembered making the grave mistake of drinking too much alcohol, but things after that were just... blurry. He scrunched up his face in concentration, and managed the make the connection between a few events.

There was the attempted flirting, then there was... oh. Oh.

It wasn't much, but he could remember enough. The 'waltz', the drunken laughter, the near kisses. And all with a boy he barely knew.

Matthew buried himself deeper under his blanket. If the hangover didn't kill him, the embarrassment surely would. At that point, he really did hope he didn't have to face the other again. He'd change shifts at work if needed.

Turns out, life had different plans for him.

After venturing out from the safety of his bed, Matthew had asked Gilbert, who was luckily in their room, if he could borrow his phone. Gilbert gave a nod, and allowed Matthew use of the phone. He proceeded to call in sick for work, which gave him the rest of the day to spend in the bathroom, willing his migraine away.

Luckily(?) for him, the majority of the day went just like so. That was, until there was a knock at the door. At the time he heard the sound, Matthew was somewhat better than he had been in the morning, so he didn't have much of a problem opening the door. He just hoped he wouldn't have a very long conversation with whoever it was.

Though, the moment he opened the door, his face turned more than a few shades of red and Matthew almost considered shutting the door.

"Hey dude, Alfred F. Jones, remember me?"

Matthew took one look at the person in front of him and considered closing the door. He mentally scolded himself; he wasn't one to be rude; and concluded that there was a chance that Alfred hadn't been able to recall any of last night's events.

At some point during his contemplation, he came to the realization that he had been staring at Alfred during his thinking. He quickly cleared his throat, looking away.

"Er, I do. Do remember you I mean. Why exactly are you here though...? And how did you know where my dorm was?"

"Well, I'm friends with this French guy, who's friends with Gilbert, who's your roommate so... I just asked Francis. But anyways, I'm here 'cause you left your phone at that party last night! You're lucky I'm the one who found it by the way." Alfred grinned and pulled a phone out of his pocket, which Matthew recognized instantly because of the maple leaf on the case.

"Oh, uhm, thank you." He took the phone from Alfred's hands, "Sorry you had to come all the way here to return it."

"What're you, Canadian or something? No need to say sorry, it was no problem." Alfred obviously meant it as a joke, as he accompanied it with a short laugh.

"Well... yes, actually. I am Canadian." Matthew sheepishly smiled at the other blonde.

"Oh..." Alfred rubbed the nape of his neck, "well hey dude, that's pretty cool! Anyways, I should probably be on my way. 'Till I waltz again with you~" he sang the short verse slightly off key, laughing slightly. "Though maybe next time, it'll be when we're both sober."

And with that, he disappeared from sight, leaving a blushing and flustered Matthew standing at the door. Matthew shook his head and closed the door, before throwing himself onto his bed and falling asleep.


End file.
